Final Report Summary - RAMPAWARE (Development of a robust cost-effective collision awareness and avoidance system for ground support equipment operating on the airport ramp)
Executive Summary:
This report summarises the work carried out and achievements made during the 30 month period (1st March 2013 to 31st August 2015) of the RAMPAWARE project.
RampAware is funded by the European Commission’s Framework 7 Programme within the “Research for SME” scheme.
The RampAware consortium is made up of a team of up to 9 organisations who were selected on the basis of their expertise in fields that are complimentary to the development work. The specialist knowledge of each consortium member involves a number of subject areas including radar design, control systems, system integration and navigation systems.
Project Context and Objectives:
If no action is taken by 2025, 60 European airports will be severely overcrowded. To address this issue, the EU has implemented a plan encompassing legislation, financial support, technology developments and the promotion of co-ordinated planning. These measures will lead to increasing airport productivity, reducing turnaround times and ensuring passengers are delivered to their destinations. These measures will also put additional strain of ground handling crews responsible for turnaround operations.
Presently, air transport accidents on the apron are already above the all industry average with injuries to UK airport staff increasing by 50% between 2002 and 2008. Operating with time constraints in highly congested areas, in all weathers and at night, these workers can damage highly engineered aircraft and equipment they are servicing.
A minor accident can result in an airline cancelling the scheduled flight resulting in ticket revenue losses, additional passenger welfare costs and payment for accident investigation, repair and damage. Direct costs of ground accidents to aircraft amounts to approximately €5 billion per annum with indirect costs amounting to 5 times that figure. €1 billion of this are attributed to accidents caused by GSE (Ground Support Equipment) and as more composite aircraft come into service, these costs are likely to rise.
Existing technologies have failed for several reasons. The latest sensing technologies used in the automotive industry are application specific sensors and offer little functionality as for all round collision detection, many sensors would be needed. Furthermore, some sensors do not react well to the convex surfaces typically found on aircraft and many would not be sufficiently robust for the environment they would need to operate within.
Close range docking is a challenging and complex operation for GSE drivers and is often carried out in poor weather or dark conditions. No technology yet, is capable of delivering an adequate solution to the meet the needs of the GS driver.
The Solution
The RampAware project seeks to develop a novel technique for sensing the location of all parts of the GSE in relation to the aircraft thereby, providing a mechanism for predicting and preventing potential collisions.
This system installed on GSE, will reduce the number of costly incidents between these vehicles and aircraft. This novel sensing method will combine radar feature extraction for spatial detection, and an Inertial Navigation System (INS). By using these technologies, the location of any part of the GSE vehicle can be tracked in relation to any part on the aircraft being serviced. Feature extraction and spatial detection of aircraft will be achieved by using various cost effective sensors and newly introduced technology. GSE movement is tracked through inertial navigation techniques and possibly smart wireless sensor nodes. This information will be displayed to the driver on a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI will also assist drivers during docking operations by providing a confidence check that the system is operating correctly. In the event of driver error, whilst either driving or docking, an emergency stop brake will prevent direct contact occurring between GSE and the aircraft.
By addressing the severe problem of accidents involving GSE and aircraft on the airfield apron, the following aims are targeted:
• Assist in maximising EU airport capacity, and alleviating travel disruptions caused by damaged grounded aircraft.
• Make the job of the aircraft ground handler more manageable and safer,
• Greatly reduce direct and indirect costs of damage for ground handling providers and airlines, thereby allowing cost savings and increased profits,
• Address the emerging threat of unnoticed damage to composite aircraft and in turn maintain and improve air safety standards.
• Create new and safeguard existing jobs for GSE manufacturers and their supply chains, through the introduction of an effective new system that offers itself as a valuable GSE differentiator in a market full of ‘me too’ products.
• Generate exploitable IPR and a competitive advantage for the SMEs involved in this project.
Key Project Objectives
In order to realise the development of the solution a number of scientific, technological and integrated objectives were defined.
The specific scientific objectives were:
• Identification of optimum methods/algorithms for vehicle
• Basic research into synthetic aperture radar at 77GHz for range and orientation detection of large objects at close range
• Develop a specification for the system requirements
The specific technical objectives were:
• Develop vehicle integration and control technology
• Develop the INS and shape change tracking technology
• Develop the radar sensing technology for feature extraction and location determination
The specific integrated objectives were:
• Integration of Ramp-Aware sub-assembly modules into complete collision avoidance system
• Integration of Ramp-Aware system into a GSE test vehicle
Project Results:
The results achieved against the scientific objectives of the project are as follows:
1. Identification of optimum methods/algorithms for vehicle position and shape change tracking
A computer simulation model of the tracking system with operational accuracy of +/- 25mm was developed.
2. Basic research into synthetic aperture radar at 77GHz for range and orientation detection of large objects at close range
Theoretical and experimental proof of the ability to detect range and orientation in less than 5 seconds at 30m from an aircraft using SAR was achieved.
3. Develop a specification for the system requirements
A specification report outlining the overall operational requirement of the collision avoidance system was developed.
The results achieved against the Technical objectives of the project are as follows:
4. Develop vehicle integration and control technology
A vehicle control system that can be installed on 90% of existing GSE vehicles has been developed. Additional development work is required to improve robustness of the system to be able to meet the target reliability and reaction speeds.
5. Develop the INS and shape change tracking technology
A movement and shape tracking system prototype has been designed to specification that is capable of delivering overall system accuracy to 20mm. Further development and testing is required before confirming the target reliability of 99.99% in all specified weather conditions.
6. Develop the radar sensing technology for feature extraction and location determination
A radar sensor capable of being integrated in typical GSE that can detect range and orientation in relation to aircraft at a min distance of 30m and to a range accuracy of 50mm and orientation accuracy of 0.1° has been developed. Further testing is required to be done to validate performance on a range of different aircraft types under a range of weather conditions.
The results achieved against the Integrated Objectives of the project are as follows:
7. Integration of Ramp-Aware sub-assembly modules into complete collision avoidance system
A fully functional collision avoidance system has been tested. The system tested included integrated aircraft identification, range & orientation, movement & shape tracking technologies, and GSE control technologies.
8. Integration of Ramp-Aware system into a GSE test vehicle
The RampAware system has been integrated into a full specification GSE test vehicle and tested against the conformance testing criteria.
Potential Impact:
Potential Impact
The wider impact of the RampAware project across the European Union includes:-
• Political: Will contribute to a safer and more efficient transport infrastructure which is in line with EU policy and planning
• Economic: 200 jobs could be created by enabling SME’s to compete in an international market with unique technology
• Societal: Leading to improvements in the wellbeing of ground handling staff through reducing stress levels, delivering improved passenger satisfaction through reducing scheduling changes caused by apron collisions and finally, improvements to health and safety by reducing injuries and possible death.
• Environmental: By reducing collisions on the apron, there will be less of a need for replacement parts and material.
An analysis of the financial impact to the consortium, including the estimated post project investment requirement, shows that the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for all SMEs is positive, indicating that the project is an attractive investment opportunity for the parties involved. The estimation includes the investment required to complete the technical development and the investment required to commercialise the system. In addition to the economic benefits, the SME beneficiaries will be able to enter the knowledge economy and network with other companies throughout Europe. The SMEs will be able to enter new markets, diversify and grow their business, creating over 200 jobs and further business opportunities.
Main Dissemination activities
The main dissemination activities carried out during the project are shown below.
1 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
17/09/13 Barcelona, Spain
2 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
10/10/13 Munich, Germany
3 Magazine article (MALLAGHAN)
Brave new world
12/13 Barcelona, Spain
4 Newspaper Article (ITA)
Robust and cost-effective system for collision avoidance in GSE
14/01/14 Heraldo de Aragon
5 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
08/11/15 Munich, Germany
Main Exploitation Results
The following exploitable results have been achieved from the project:
1. Specification for GSE collision avoidance system
2. Control and integration system for a GSE collision avoidance system
3. Real time GSE tracking system for aircraft collision
4. GSE location and orientation detection radar
5. Fully integrated GSE collision avoidance system
To exploit the achieved results shown above, further development work is required to optimise the system performance and improve the robustness before it can be commercialised. These enhancements have been identified during the final testing phase and include enhancements to the control system, collision detection system, HMI and Radar system
List of Websites:
The project website address is: - http://rampaware.eu/
This report summarises the work carried out and achievements made during the 30 month period (1st March 2013 to 31st August 2015) of the RAMPAWARE project.
RampAware is funded by the European Commission’s Framework 7 Programme within the “Research for SME” scheme.
The RampAware consortium is made up of a team of up to 9 organisations who were selected on the basis of their expertise in fields that are complimentary to the development work. The specialist knowledge of each consortium member involves a number of subject areas including radar design, control systems, system integration and navigation systems.
Project Context and Objectives:
If no action is taken by 2025, 60 European airports will be severely overcrowded. To address this issue, the EU has implemented a plan encompassing legislation, financial support, technology developments and the promotion of co-ordinated planning. These measures will lead to increasing airport productivity, reducing turnaround times and ensuring passengers are delivered to their destinations. These measures will also put additional strain of ground handling crews responsible for turnaround operations.
Presently, air transport accidents on the apron are already above the all industry average with injuries to UK airport staff increasing by 50% between 2002 and 2008. Operating with time constraints in highly congested areas, in all weathers and at night, these workers can damage highly engineered aircraft and equipment they are servicing.
A minor accident can result in an airline cancelling the scheduled flight resulting in ticket revenue losses, additional passenger welfare costs and payment for accident investigation, repair and damage. Direct costs of ground accidents to aircraft amounts to approximately €5 billion per annum with indirect costs amounting to 5 times that figure. €1 billion of this are attributed to accidents caused by GSE (Ground Support Equipment) and as more composite aircraft come into service, these costs are likely to rise.
Existing technologies have failed for several reasons. The latest sensing technologies used in the automotive industry are application specific sensors and offer little functionality as for all round collision detection, many sensors would be needed. Furthermore, some sensors do not react well to the convex surfaces typically found on aircraft and many would not be sufficiently robust for the environment they would need to operate within.
Close range docking is a challenging and complex operation for GSE drivers and is often carried out in poor weather or dark conditions. No technology yet, is capable of delivering an adequate solution to the meet the needs of the GS driver.
The Solution
The RampAware project seeks to develop a novel technique for sensing the location of all parts of the GSE in relation to the aircraft thereby, providing a mechanism for predicting and preventing potential collisions.
This system installed on GSE, will reduce the number of costly incidents between these vehicles and aircraft. This novel sensing method will combine radar feature extraction for spatial detection, and an Inertial Navigation System (INS). By using these technologies, the location of any part of the GSE vehicle can be tracked in relation to any part on the aircraft being serviced. Feature extraction and spatial detection of aircraft will be achieved by using various cost effective sensors and newly introduced technology. GSE movement is tracked through inertial navigation techniques and possibly smart wireless sensor nodes. This information will be displayed to the driver on a graphical user interface (GUI). The GUI will also assist drivers during docking operations by providing a confidence check that the system is operating correctly. In the event of driver error, whilst either driving or docking, an emergency stop brake will prevent direct contact occurring between GSE and the aircraft.
By addressing the severe problem of accidents involving GSE and aircraft on the airfield apron, the following aims are targeted:
• Assist in maximising EU airport capacity, and alleviating travel disruptions caused by damaged grounded aircraft.
• Make the job of the aircraft ground handler more manageable and safer,
• Greatly reduce direct and indirect costs of damage for ground handling providers and airlines, thereby allowing cost savings and increased profits,
• Address the emerging threat of unnoticed damage to composite aircraft and in turn maintain and improve air safety standards.
• Create new and safeguard existing jobs for GSE manufacturers and their supply chains, through the introduction of an effective new system that offers itself as a valuable GSE differentiator in a market full of ‘me too’ products.
• Generate exploitable IPR and a competitive advantage for the SMEs involved in this project.
Key Project Objectives
In order to realise the development of the solution a number of scientific, technological and integrated objectives were defined.
The specific scientific objectives were:
• Identification of optimum methods/algorithms for vehicle
• Basic research into synthetic aperture radar at 77GHz for range and orientation detection of large objects at close range
• Develop a specification for the system requirements
The specific technical objectives were:
• Develop vehicle integration and control technology
• Develop the INS and shape change tracking technology
• Develop the radar sensing technology for feature extraction and location determination
The specific integrated objectives were:
• Integration of Ramp-Aware sub-assembly modules into complete collision avoidance system
• Integration of Ramp-Aware system into a GSE test vehicle
Project Results:
The results achieved against the scientific objectives of the project are as follows:
1. Identification of optimum methods/algorithms for vehicle position and shape change tracking
A computer simulation model of the tracking system with operational accuracy of +/- 25mm was developed.
2. Basic research into synthetic aperture radar at 77GHz for range and orientation detection of large objects at close range
Theoretical and experimental proof of the ability to detect range and orientation in less than 5 seconds at 30m from an aircraft using SAR was achieved.
3. Develop a specification for the system requirements
A specification report outlining the overall operational requirement of the collision avoidance system was developed.
The results achieved against the Technical objectives of the project are as follows:
4. Develop vehicle integration and control technology
A vehicle control system that can be installed on 90% of existing GSE vehicles has been developed. Additional development work is required to improve robustness of the system to be able to meet the target reliability and reaction speeds.
5. Develop the INS and shape change tracking technology
A movement and shape tracking system prototype has been designed to specification that is capable of delivering overall system accuracy to 20mm. Further development and testing is required before confirming the target reliability of 99.99% in all specified weather conditions.
6. Develop the radar sensing technology for feature extraction and location determination
A radar sensor capable of being integrated in typical GSE that can detect range and orientation in relation to aircraft at a min distance of 30m and to a range accuracy of 50mm and orientation accuracy of 0.1° has been developed. Further testing is required to be done to validate performance on a range of different aircraft types under a range of weather conditions.
The results achieved against the Integrated Objectives of the project are as follows:
7. Integration of Ramp-Aware sub-assembly modules into complete collision avoidance system
A fully functional collision avoidance system has been tested. The system tested included integrated aircraft identification, range & orientation, movement & shape tracking technologies, and GSE control technologies.
8. Integration of Ramp-Aware system into a GSE test vehicle
The RampAware system has been integrated into a full specification GSE test vehicle and tested against the conformance testing criteria.
Potential Impact:
Potential Impact
The wider impact of the RampAware project across the European Union includes:-
• Political: Will contribute to a safer and more efficient transport infrastructure which is in line with EU policy and planning
• Economic: 200 jobs could be created by enabling SME’s to compete in an international market with unique technology
• Societal: Leading to improvements in the wellbeing of ground handling staff through reducing stress levels, delivering improved passenger satisfaction through reducing scheduling changes caused by apron collisions and finally, improvements to health and safety by reducing injuries and possible death.
• Environmental: By reducing collisions on the apron, there will be less of a need for replacement parts and material.
An analysis of the financial impact to the consortium, including the estimated post project investment requirement, shows that the Internal Rate of Return (IRR) for all SMEs is positive, indicating that the project is an attractive investment opportunity for the parties involved. The estimation includes the investment required to complete the technical development and the investment required to commercialise the system. In addition to the economic benefits, the SME beneficiaries will be able to enter the knowledge economy and network with other companies throughout Europe. The SMEs will be able to enter new markets, diversify and grow their business, creating over 200 jobs and further business opportunities.
Main Dissemination activities
The main dissemination activities carried out during the project are shown below.
1 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
17/09/13 Barcelona, Spain
2 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
10/10/13 Munich, Germany
3 Magazine article (MALLAGHAN)
Brave new world
12/13 Barcelona, Spain
4 Newspaper Article (ITA)
Robust and cost-effective system for collision avoidance in GSE
14/01/14 Heraldo de Aragon
5 Presentation (MALLAGHAN)
Removing the Human Factor from GSE
08/11/15 Munich, Germany
Main Exploitation Results
The following exploitable results have been achieved from the project:
1. Specification for GSE collision avoidance system
2. Control and integration system for a GSE collision avoidance system
3. Real time GSE tracking system for aircraft collision
4. GSE location and orientation detection radar
5. Fully integrated GSE collision avoidance system
To exploit the achieved results shown above, further development work is required to optimise the system performance and improve the robustness before it can be commercialised. These enhancements have been identified during the final testing phase and include enhancements to the control system, collision detection system, HMI and Radar system
List of Websites:
The project website address is: - http://rampaware.eu/